If Things Were Different
by Lily Beth O'Connor
Summary: What if things were different? What if Jack was the wealthy Aristocrat, and Rose was the poor girl, trying her luck in America? Love and drama ensues... Please R&R. :
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone!  
This is the first fanfic I've written for Titanic, and I'm really excited about it. If you like it, please review and tell me to keep going! Cause there's no point in a writer without readers!**

**Hope you enjoy :)**

*Disclaimer. I do not own Jack Dawson, Rose DeWitt Bukater or any other characters featured in _Titanic _the motion picture.

**CHAPTER ONE**

Jack Dawson looked down at the heavy parchment tickets gripped in his right hand. His left arm was looped into that of his fiancée, Katherine, who was staring at the enormous ship, her mouth agape.

"Isn't it marvellous, Jack?" She said shouted over the sounds of the port, her clipped English accent sounding out of place amongst the cries of the Irish and American.

He looked down at her calf-skin gloved hand and nodded curtly. "It is," He answered.

"Jack?" His mother, Vanessa, strolled up behind him, the hem of her wine-coloured travelling dress trailing on the dusty ground of the port. "Oh, there you are. Did you arrange the luggage?"

"Yes, mother," Jack answered. "It has all been arranged. Don't worry, your trunks will be in your cabin."

"Thank you, darling." She smiled at her only son. "What would we do without you?"

Jack laughed a little. "Where is Nancy?" Nancy was Jack's fourteen year old sister, the apple of his eye.

"She's coming with your Grandmother." Vanessa's mouth went flat. She hated Jack's grandmother, the mother of Jack's dead father, but would never stoop so low as to slight her in public.

"Mother! Jack!" The words had barely left Vanessa's mouth when Nancy came running up, her straight brown hair awry, stains already on the front of her lemon silk dress.

"Oh, Nan!" Vanessa scolded, using a handkerchief she pulled from somewhere to swipe at the damp spots.

Jack smiled as his grandmother came behind Nan, huffing up the steps to the platform they waited on.

"I hate ports," She sniffed. "Full of vagrants and thieves."

Jack restrained a smile.

"Oh, Lillian! You always complain. I would really be much more comfortable if -"

Lillian raised a hand and cut her daughter-in-law off mid-sentence. "Now, now, Vanessa. You need not start that nonsense about leaving me behind. As if I could bear to part from my beautiful grandchildren!" She smiled warmly at Jack, who reached out and squeezed her hand.

"Are we ready to board?" Jack asked. The ship's horn sounded loudly, and suddenly the sounds of the excited people in the port increased hugely.

"What did you say?" Vanessa shouted to her son over the escalating noise.

"I SAID, ARE YOU READY TO BOARD?"

The four women looked questioningly at him. It was impossible to hear over the noise. Instead of shouting again, Jack simply pointed to the tickets in his hand, and then to the ship.

They all nodded with relief. Jack looped one arm through Katherine's and another through his mothers, and Nancy took her Grandmother's hand. They walked quickly through the dense crowds of lower class people, and finally slowed when they reached the queue of First Class passengers.

Despite himself, and the reservations he had had about leaving Paris, and now Ireland, Jack felt his excitement build as they approached the First Class gangplank.

Nancy was chattering on excitedly about cabins and starboard and dolphins, and goodness knew what else, and Jack found himself laughing at her in a way he hadn't laughed in a long time.

Maybe America would be different. Maybe everything would be well. After all, it was the land of dreams.

* * *

"Elizabeth! E-LIZ-A-BETH!" Rose stood at the bottom stair in the hostel and shouted loudly.

"Shut it," A stooped old man wandered by, muttering to himself. Rose stuck her finger up at his back.

"LIZZIE!" She yelled.

"Alright, alright! I'm coming!" There were footsteps at the top and Rose was relieved to see Elizabeth coming down, a heavy leather bag over her shoulder. She grinned when she reached the bottom, and Rose grinned back.

"Can you believe we're actually going?" Lizzie wrapped her arms around her swollen stomach. "I'm so scared."

Rose laughed. "Don't be. This is the first day of the rest of our lives."

**Sorry it's so short! Please tell me if you enjoyed it. Or if you didn't! :L Constructive criticism helps :) If you liked it, I'll continue ASAP :)**

**Lily Beth x**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hope you all enjoy! Please R&R... the quicker you do, the more likely the next chapter will be up! I hope you all like this story, cause I'm REALLY enjoying writing it - and it's only the second chapter! :D**

* * *

**Chapter Two**

"Rose." Elizabeth hissed, her eyes wide with fear. "What if they don't let me on?"

The girls were standing in the long line at one of the three Third class entryways, with their worldly belongings on their backs. Elizabeth had her arms crossed protectively over her stomach.

"Of course they will, Lizzie," Rose said, distracted. "They can't stop you cause you're pregnant. That's discrimination."

Lizzie's blue eyes flashed fearfully. "Ssh!" She said, looking fearfully around her.

Rose laughed. "Don't be so scared! You're free. You have nothing to worry about."

Lizzie but her lip nervously.

"Next, please!" The sailor patrolling the door called loudly. Rose and Lizzie stepped forward.

"Names?" He barked in an English accent.

"Rose DeWitt Bukater." She confidently handed him her ticket, and Lizzie's, along with their health certificates. "This is my sister, Elizabeth O'Toole."

"You're travelling unaccompanied?" The guard looked untrusting.

"My fiancé in is New York already," Rose said confidently.

"And you, Miss?" The guard addressed Lizzie, looking at her obviously pregnant stomach. "Where is your husband?"

Lizzie placed a hand over her eyes, and snorted with laughter. Rose looked at the guard, her expression one of disgust.

"It's alright, Elizabeth, pet," She said, taking Lizzie's hand. She spoke to the guard, her tone low but still sharp. "Her husband was killed two weeks ago, in a mining accident. She breaks down anytime someone mentions it."

The guard looked uncomfortable. "You may board, ladies," He said, handing Rose the tickets and certificates. "Have a pleasant voyage." He touched Lizzie's shoulder as she passed. "I'm sorry for your loss."

As soon as the girls were inside, they fell around the place, hooting with laughter, completely oblivious to the stares of other passengers.

"A mining accident?" Lizzie laughed. "There're no mines in Wexford, you wagon! Where do you come up with these things?"

The girls finally stopped giggling long enough to try and locate their cabin. They found it quickly enough, in the bottom section of the Third class area, close to the dining and common rooms. The room was plain enough, small, white washed panelled walls, two sets of wooden bunks bolted to the door, a chamber pot, a chest with four drawers and one tiny fold-down writing desk and chair.

"I'll go on top," Rose said, throwing her bag onto the top bunk.

Lizzie smiled appreciatively, and sat on the bottom. The other set of bunks was occupied - they're were bags on each one, and a pair of boots on the floor.

"Wonder who we'll be rooming with?" Lizzie asked idly, opening her bag and beginning to fold her clothes into one of the two empty drawers.

"Hope they're fun," Rose said, from her bunk. She sat up, looking around. "It's lovely, isn't it? So new!"

"Nicest ship I've been on," Lizzie said sincerely, and both girls laughed.

"Only ship you've been on, you mean!" Rose giggled.

Lizzie had been born and bred in Ireland, and in all her eighteen years, had never before considered leaving.

Rose, on the other hand, was orphaned from America, raised by an old aunt in Paris, and ended up in Ireland, aged fifteen, when her aunt had died and she ran away from the orphanage she's been sent to. She'd lived hand to mouth for a year, before she was hired to work on Lizzie's father's farm. The two girls had become fast friends, and had run away together four months previously, when Lizzie had realized she was pregnant.

Rose still didn't know who the baby's father was, and wasn't sure if Lizzie would ever tell her.

"Hello!" A rosy cheeked young woman, maybe nineteen or twenty, stepped into the room, followed by another girl, maybe a year or two younger.

"Hi!" Rose swung herself down from her bunk. "Are you two our roommates?"

The two girls grinned. "I guess we are," The older one said. "I'm Sally Byrne."

"Kitty Nolan," The younger one said.

"I'm Rose DeWitt," Rose said, leaving out the longer, more complicated part of her name.

The two girls looked at Lizzie.

"Elizabeth O'Toole," She said, smiling broadly, and extending her hand. "Most people call me Lizzie."

"Nice to meet you both!" Sally said warmly. She was a pretty Irish girl, obviously fresh off the farm. Kitty seemed to be of the same stock.

"Are you two by yourselves?" Lizzie asked conversationally.

"No," Sally said, and she held up her left hand. "I'm just married. Making a new life with my new husband, Seán."

Rose and Lizzie offered their hearty congratulations, and Sally flushed delightedly.

"Kitty's my cousin," Sally continued, nodding towards the younger girl, who was self consciously smoothing her thin brown hair. "She's coming too. I think she's hoping for a proposal from Seán's brother, Peter!"

"Sally!" Kitty said, her already rosy cheeks flushing redder, especially since Lizzie and Rose giggled. "What about you two?" She asked, trying to take the spotlight off herself. "What're your stories?"

Rose smiled. "I'm just off to find my fortune! I'm from New York, so it's like returning home. Though it's ten years since I left."

Sally laughed. "Maybe you can help us out, we'll be utterly lost!"

Rose laughed too. "I don't know about that, I'll probably be even more disorientated than you!"

"And what about you?" Kitty turned to Lizzie, smiling. "Are you with your husband?"

Rose froze, unsure of what Lizzie was going to say. To her surprise, Lizzie performed fantastically. Her mouth turned down at the corners, and her brow furrowed over her ice-blue eyes.

"My husband died," she said quietly. "Two weeks ago. A mining accident."

The hush in the room was louder than the shouts coming from the port outside.

"I'm so sorry!" Sally was the first to speak.

"Me, too." Kitty looked sorry that she'd asked.

"Thank you," Lizzie said. "I appreciate that. Will you excuse me for a moment?"

Without waiting, she left the room, and burst into silent giggles in the corridor outside.

She then listened to the conversation that continued in the room.

"Is she alright?" One of the girls asked worriedly.

"She'll be fine," Rose said, though her voice sounded like she didn't think so. "She's a bit of a mess at the moment. It's one of the reasons we're leaving. Ireland has too many memories for her."

"Poor little thing," Sally said. "And pregnant, too!"

"Yes, it'll be difficult, but she's tough. She'll be fine. Excuse me for a moment, will you? I'll just go see…" She trailed off.

A moment later, Rose stepped out into the corridor, grinning broadly.

"Well done, Lizzie! That was excellent!" Rose did a little jig up and down.

Lizzie laughed. "Thanks, Rose - oof!" She gasped a little as she was shoved against the wall by a passenger eager to find his room.

"Watch it!" Lizzie called after the man, but good humouredly - she was too happy to be mad at anyone in the world.

"Do you want to go on deck?" She asked. "Get a last goodbye?"

Rose grinned. "Sure. Let's go."

They quickly ran up the staircases to the desk, which was crowded with people.

"Let us through, let us through!" Rose called. "She's going to be sick!"

Lizzie laughed as the crowd magically parted, and suddenly they were right next to the railing.

"It's pulling away!" Lizzie cried and the ship began to move. Rose could almost feel the engines whirring beneath her leather booted feet.

"Goodbye, Ireland!" She yelled at the top of her voice, raising her arms and stamping her feet. All around her, people shouted the same thing, the many voices blending into one.

Lizzie's arms suddenly clamped around her stomach. "Rose!" She cried. "The baby is kicking! For the first time ever!"

Rose laughed. "Lizzie, you're crying!"

"Am I?" Lizzie raised a hand to her cheek. It was wet. "I'm happy!" She shouted over the ruckus. More quietly, she said, "I've never been happier in my life."

They were finally leaving. Finally getting away from everything they - Lizzie especially - had ever known. And it was great, the best feeling in the world.

And Rose couldn't have agreed more.

**Hope you enjoyed, please R&R!**

**Lily Beth x**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone, thanks for all the reviews! :D Here's chapter Three as promised :) This is a little bit of an insight into Jack's life and character. Hopefully Jack and Rose will meet in chapter four!**

**Please Review! Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Three**

"Nan? Are you alright?" Jack placed a hand on his sister's shoulder.

Nancy nodded distractedly, her hazel eyes staring out the large window at the huge expanse of sea spread out before them.

Suddenly, she shook her head. "Sorry, Jack," She said. "I'm fine."

"Is something bothering you?" He asked, sitting next to her on the luxurious velvet covered chez-lounge, and placing his hand on hers.

"No," She answered, a little too quickly. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Well," She conceded, looking more than a little embarrassed. "I had a nightmare last night."

"And it's been bothering you?" Jack restrained a smile.

Nancy nodded. "A little, I suppose."

"Was is about -"

"No!" Nancy cut across Jack, sounding sharper than she'd intended. "It has nothing to do with our father."

Jack nodded, his eyes tightening slightly. "Why don't you tell me about it."

Nancy waved a hand nonchalantly. "I dreamed the ship was sinking. That I was drowning, calling out, that no one could hear me." She shuddered, her eyes troubled. Then she seemed to remember herself, and she smiled. "It was nothing, Jack. A silly dream."

But Jack could see it had upset her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, comforting her.

"They say it's the safest ship in the world, Nan. The Unsinkable ship."

"I know, I know…" Nancy said. "Like I said, Jack, a silly dream."

Jack nodded, agreeing with her in a comforting way.

"Jack?" Nancy asked after a few minutes, still leaning against him. "What's so great about America?"

Jack smiled. "You don't remember anything about it?"

She shook her head. "I was only four when we went to Paris!"

"And I was eleven," Jack mused.

"What is it that's so wonderful about it? Mother just can't wait to get back."

Jack thought for a moment. "Well, it's a beautiful country. It has beautiful parks and lakes, and the stores… Nan, you'll be very happy there."

Nancy frowned. "Paris is beautiful. It has parks and lakes and stores."

Jack thought for a moment. Everything she said was true. "Do you want to know the very best thing?"

Nancy nodded, her blonde hair glistening in the sunlight that poured through the windows in the cabin.

Jack kissed the top of her head. "It's a new city for us, Nan. Which means it has no memories."

Nancy looked up at Jack, her eyes teary. "I didn't want to leave, Jack."

"I know, Nan." He pulled her closer. "I know."

* * *

Jack stood on the First Class deck, looking out at the sun setting on the sea, his mind of somewhere else completely.

"Jack!" There were footsteps behind him, but Jack didn't turn. "Jack," Katherine said again, and this time Jack turned.

She stood there, so beautiful in her pale green dress, with her golden hair swept up at the back of her head, a smile on her full lips and her brown eyes warm.

"Katherine." He took her gloved hand, and brought it to his mouth. She blushed a little.

"Your mother wants to know if you are ready to dine?" She asked, shaking her head a little, as if to clear it.

Jack smiled faintly at her. "Yes, tell her I'll just change, and then I'll meet them at the cabin. Tell her to wait for me to accompany them."

Katherine smiled at her handsome fiancé. "Of course, Jack. Father booked the table for nine o'clock. Is that alright?"

"Perfect," Jack said. "I'll see you shortly. Do you need me to accompany you to your cabin?"

She shook her golden head. "I'll wait here for Dennis. He's coming shortly." Dennis was Katherine's brother.

Jack nodded, and turned away, leaving Katherine watching the sunset alone.

* * *

Jack sat at the large, clothed table in the luxury dining room, surrounded by the rich. Katherine was on his left, Nancy on his right. He took a cigarette from the silver tray on the table, and placed it in his mouth before reaching for a silver box of Lucifer matches rested next to the cigarette tray. Katherine looked at the cigarette disapprovingly, as did his mother. Jack took a long drag.

Seeing Jack smoke in front of his mother seemed to give some of the younger men encouragement, and one by one they all reached for cigarettes. Jack tried not to roll his eyes.

The table interrupted into loud laughter, and Jack jumped, startled. Katherine patted his forearm in rhythm to her laughter, and Jack moved away uncomfortably.

This didn't go unnoticed by Jack's mother, who gave Jack a disapproving look.

When the meal was finished, the men excused themselves to the library for cigars and brandy, and Jack agreed to join them.

"Goodnight, ladies," He said to the women around the table. The younger women giggled and fidgeted, while the older ones smiled, not a single one of them oblivious to his charms.

"Goodnight, Katherine," He said quietly to his fiancé.

"Goodnight, Jack," She said, a little breathlessly.

As Jack turned and walked away, the table errupted into loud whispers and giggles.

Jack crossed the dining room and pushed open the heavy oak door to the men's "reading" room. He was immediately enveloped by a heavy fog of cigar smoke.

"Jack, old boy!" A hearty voice, with a sharp English accent, welcomed him.

"Good evening, gentlemen," Jack said formally. He didn't recognize a single face out of the dozen or so men gathered in the room. He turned to the man who had welcomed him. "Mr. King."

Arthur King was Katherine's father. The Kings' came from old money, having made their wealth through thorough-bred horses, and more recently, American goldmines. Mr King was a well built man, in his mid fifties, with a thick moustache, a bright red face, and a kindly nature.

The men looked at Jack questioningly, and Jack waited patiently to be introduced.

"Oh!" Arthur exclaimed, after he handed Jack a lit cigar and a glass of brandy. "This here is Jack Dawson. He's marrying my girl, Katherine."

The men didn't say anything, but they exchanged glances. Katherine King was known all over for her beauty.

"He's the son of Laurence Dawson."

The men's faces lit up with recognition, and they began to murmur to one another before speaking to Jack.

"So sorry for your loss, son," an elderly man said to Jack.

"Your father was a great man," Another man, not much older than Jack said, shaking his hand.

"Thank you, thank you," Jack said over and over again, receiving condolences for a man he had never really known.

Normal conversation resumed after a few moments, mostly talk about the ship.

Anger swelled in Jack's chest, and the brandy glass shook in his hand. He drained it, and reached for the crystal decanter to refill it, before draining it again.

How could his father have done this to him, to his mother and sister? How could he have left them in Paris, with excuses of business in London, only to never to return? And now he had to sit there, amongst men who told of him of the greatness of a man he hadn't seen for almost ten years, a man who had died without so much as a letter or a telegram to his family.

Jack reached for the decanter again, hoping that maybe alcohol could make him forget.

* * *

"Food isn't bad!" Rose appraised enthusiastically as she took another mouthful of the thick gruel.

Lizzie nodded in agreement, smearing a thin cabin biscuit with dripping and then placing a slice of red cheese on it. "It's good!" She said, before shoving the whole biscuit into her mouth. Ever since she'd gotten pregnant, she'd constantly been hovering between feeling violently sick and absolutely ravenous.

Rose laughed at Lizzie, who giggled in return, spraying crumbs everywhere.

"You mind if we join you?"

Rose looked around. It was Sally and Kitty, accompanied by two young men.

"Of course not!" She said, smiling at them, and the four of them began to pull out chairs.

"Good food, eh?" One of the men said. He was handsome in a typical farming way, with sun-browned skin, warm brown eyes and a nice grin. The other man was similar in appearances, though a little stockier, and with lighter hair.

"This is Seán," Sally said, pointing to the darker man as she sat down next to Rose. "And Peter," She continued, pointing to the other man, who was sitting next to Kitty.

"These are the girls we were telling you about," Kitty said to the men. "Rose and Lizzie."

"Nice to meet you, girls," Seán said. Peter nodded - he was already tucking into his plateful of salted fish and gruel.

"Did you hear about the dance?" Kitty said enthusiastically, starting on her gruel.

"Dance?" Rose raised an eyebrow and Lizzie, who shrugged.

"There'll be music and dancing and that," Sally continued. "Down in the galley. Should be good."

Rose grinned at Lizzie. "You up for it?"

Lizzie grinned back. "You only live once."

**:) **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Oh!" Rose gasped a little as she pushed open the heavy oaken door that led onto the back deck of the ship. The cold air enveloped her, stinging her hot cheeks, and she pushed a few red curls away from her face. Her breath fogged as soon as it left her mouth, and she could already feel her nose beginning to redden with the cold. She held open the door, and Lizzie stepped through.

"Shit!" She gasped, before clapping a hand over her mouth. Rose rolled her eyes and laughed. "Lord, it's freezing!" Lizzie pulled her thin overcoat closer around her body.

"Let's look over the edge," Rose said, taking Lizzie's hand, and beginning to walk over the icy iron floor of the ship. The dampness that had settled over the evening had turned to a chill, and the floor was slippery with ice. Rose was grateful for the textured soles of her sturdy leather boots.

"Rose, it's so cold!" Lizzie groaned, following her friend reluctantly.

"One look, Lizzie," Rose said. Her head was spinning a little from all the cheap beer she had drank, and her feet ached from all the dancing. She could tell that Lizzie was exhausted, but Lizzie being Lizzie, she had refused to leave the general room for fear she'd miss something.

Rose inhaled sharply as she looked over the railings to the churning ocean below them. There were no signs of life, and it seemed a very different place from the blue oasis that dolphins that had frolicked in earlier in the day. A full moon hung heavy in the sky, reflected on the black water, and Rose shivered, not with the cold, but with awe for the intense beauty of the scene laid out before her.

"You're as cold as I am!" Lizzie said indignantly, mistaking Rose's shudder for a cold shiver. "Come on, Rosie, it's so cold!"

"You go, Lizzie. I want to stay for a minute."

Lizzie looked at Rose like she was crazy, her bright blue eyes sceptical. "Alright, suit yourself. I'm off to bed."

"Night, Lizzie," Rose said distractedly as Lizzie turned and walked towards the door, her hobnailed boots clacking on the floor.

"Night," Lizzie said, sighing to herself. Sometimes Rose just made no sense.

* * *

Jack threw the butt of his cigarette over the stern of the ship and immediately reached into the inside of his black dinner jacket for another. He lit it with a match and then lay down on a long wooden bench, his eyes turned to the sky. He inhaled from the cigarette and watched the smoke curl off into the atmosphere. He sighed with longing, wishing he too could disappear. His shoulders ached with the invisible responsibility he carried, and inside his chest, his heart sometimes felt like it was no longer beating.

It was as though he could see his life stretched out in front of his eyes. Marriage with Katherine, followed by a number of beautiful but no doubt bratty children, a lifetime of caring for his mother and grandmother, the worry of Nancy, of finding her a good husband who would love her and treat her right, not to mention working hard to keep the many Dawson watch making businesses up and running, and keep the already vast fortune growing. Dawson's watches were world renowned, and especially popular with the gentle class.

Jack sighed at the thought, and pulled his own chained watch from inside his jacket. It was quarter past eleven. He closed his eyes again, and felt the world spin. He shouldn't have drank so much brandy.

Suddenly there were footsteps from behind him, and Jack automatically froze, his eyes snapping open. A girl strolled past where he was lying, and walked the few feet to the middle of the stern.

"Wow," She gasped quietly.

Jack sat up. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" He said, encouraged by the brandy.

The girl jumped a little, startled to find herself not alone, and turned around. "You could say that," she said a little dreamily.

Jack stared at her, taken aback by her beauty. She was tall enough, probably to his shoulder, and that was no mean feat - he was almost six foot. She had masses of red curls, tumbling around a pale heart shaped face, with almond shaped green eyes. It was obvious from first glance that she was a steerage passenger - her grey dress was old and well worn, and the jacket pulled around her shoulders had a patch in the elbow, but that didn't stop her from being one of the most beautiful girls Jack had ever seen.

"Yeah," She breathed, leaning over and looking down and the water. "Do you think it's cold?" She asked conversationally. "The water, I mean."

"Freezing," Jack replied. "Maybe a couple of degrees over."

Rose peered back over the railings and shivered. "That cold, huh? Wow!" She said, leaning further over. "Hey! You can see the lettering. _Titanic_!"

Jack laughed, and stood to stand next to her at the railings. He too leaned over. "You can!" He said, before sighing a little. "_Titanic_."

Rose turned to smile at him briefly, before turning her glance back to the water below. She leaned a little further, standing on her tiptoes.

"What do you call those things?" She asked Jack, standing on the railing to get a better look. "Those turning things?" She lifted a hand from the railing to demonstrate what she meant.

"Propellers," Jack answered. Before he had the chance to elaborate on his answer, Rose took another step up the railing, and peered even further over, her red hair falling around her face. And suddenly, with a piercing scream, the soles of her old boots lost their grip of the iron railing, and she was flung over the side of the ship. One of her hands remained gripped to the railing, and her body twisted strangely as she fell. She screamed again, as pain shot through her arm.

The second she fell, Jack dropped his cigarette and reached over the railing towards her, his heart pounding painfully hard in his chest."Give me your hand!" He ordered Rose. She was flailing wildly, trying to find some sort of foothold on the smooth side of the ship, while at the same time holding tight to the railing with her right hand and trying to grab on with her left.

"You need to listen to me!" Jack said loudly over Rose's sobs. "Give me your hand!"

Rose looked up into his face, and finally grabbed onto the hand he was holding out to her. Somewhere through all the panic and confusion, she felt the warmth of his hand, and it comforted her.

"I've got you," He said, looking her straight in the eye. "I've got you, okay?"

"Okay," She said, her voice catching in her throat.

Jack let out a gasp as he began to pull her over the railing. Rose found the bottom rung of the railing with her feet.

"You're okay. I have you. What's your name?"

"Rose," She said, panting a little. "Rose DeWitt Bukater."

Jack raised an eyebrow at her, grinning in what he hoped was a slightly comforting way. "You might have to write that one down for me. I'm Jack Dawson."

"Nice to meet you," Rose said, smiling a little at the surreal quality of the moment, despite the fact that she was still in very real danger.

"Okay," Jack said. "Take a step. Move up one rung."

Rose nodded, her eyes widening with fear, but she began to do as he said. She was close to being back on the ship, so close, and then her foot caught on the hem of her tatty dress, and she plunged back down, letting out what was possibly the loudest shriek Jack had ever heard.

"It's okay, Rose, I've got you!" Jack shouted. "Listen to me, I'm _not _going to let you go! Do you understand? You've got to trust me!"

"I trust you!" She cried, forcing herself not to look down at the churning blackness below her.

"I'm going to pull you over, okay? One, two, _three_."

Rose yelled at the pain that shot through her arm, but then she was on solid ground, sprawled next to Jack on the icy iron floor of the ship.

Suddenly there were numerous sets of loud footsteps from behind them.

"Hey! What's going on here?" The quartermaster was standing over Jack and Rose, taking everything in. Standing behind him were two young sailors, and an older man that Jack recognised at Colonel Archibald Gracie, a man Jack had met once or twice since they'd boarded the ship.

Rose lay on the ground, sobbing a little, and one of the sailors went to help her up.

"I said, what's going on here?" The quartermaster repeated himself, glaring at Jack.

"Hold up, hold up," Colonel Gracie said, squinting at Jack. "It's young Jack Dawson! That you, Jack?"

"Yes, Colonel," Jack said, leaning over to shake the man's hand.

"This here is the late Laurence Dawson's young lad," Gracie said to the quartermaster. "You're overreacting, Rowe. I'm sure there's a good explanation for all of this."

"Are you alright, Miss?" Rowe asked Rose, shooting Jack another dirty look.

"I'm fine," Rose said a little shakily, pulling herself to her feet with the help of the sailor. "This is all a misunderstanding. All my fault, really. I was leaning over the edge of the ship. I was trying to see the, uh, the… what did you say they were called, Mr Dawson?" Rose made the spinning motion with her hand again.

"The propellers," Jack said, nodding in agreement.

"I was a fool," Rose murmured. "I should never have been so stupid. If it wasn't for Mr Dawson…" She shuddered.

Rowe and the Colonel exchanged glances, clearly believing Rose. It was blatantly obvious she was telling the truth.

"Well, in that case," Colonel Gracie began, "Dawson is a hero! The girl would have died if it wasn't for him. Well done, Jack. I'm so glad. I really wouldn't have been comfortable arresting you."

Jack smiled a little, and looked at Rose, who was shivering uncontrollably. "I think we should call the doctor for Miss Rose." He addressed her by her first name for fear that he had gotten her surname completely wrong. "She hurt her arm when I caught her, and she most certainly needs to be treated for shock."

"Right you are, Mr Dawson," Gracie said cheerfully. "Rowe, do you think you could…?"

"Reed!" Rowe snapped at one of the young sailors. "Fetch the doctor, please. And you, Johnson, get the woman's husband. I'm sure he's wondering where she is."

"I'm not married," Rose managed to blurt out between her chattering teeth.

For reasons he did not understand, Jack felt a surge of relief pass through his chest.

"Well, your father then. Where can he be located?"

"I'm travelling with my sister. But there's really no need, I'm fine, I just -"

"It's protocol, Miss. Tell us where we can find your sister."

Rose sighed. "Her name's Elizabeth O'Toole." Rose gave the cabin number, and the sailor called Johnson left in search of Lizzie.

Jack and Colonel Grace helped Rose over to a bench, where they sat her down and wrapped Jack's coat around her shoulders.

A few moments later, the doctor arrived. He was a heavy man, with a bald head and a thick moustache.

"You're alright, Miss," He said, checking her temperature. He inspected her arm. "You've pulled a few muscles, is all. You'll be a bit stiff tomorrow, but no serious damage. Any one got any bourbon?"

"I've got brandy," Colonel Gracie offered.

"That'll do fine," the doctor said, and Gracie handed him an engraved silver flask. He handed it to Rose and made her drink the lot. She had just swallowed the last drop of burning liquid when the door leading from steerage burst open, and Lizzie came flying onto the deck.

"Oh, Rose!" She cried, running over, closely followed by the sailor, Johnson. She was in her nightgown, with just a shawl pulled over her, and he chestnut hair was all over the place. She launched herself at Rose, hugging her tightly. Rose winced a little as pain shot through her arm.

"Lizzie, I'm okay," She said, patting her friend on the back. "I'm fine."

Colonel Grace and Rowe watched Rose and Lizzie, their expressions a mix of amusement and disapproval. No matter what had happened, at the end of the day they were still third class.

Jack Dawson was the only one who wasn't disapproving. He was watching Rose in a way he had never looked at a woman before. In that moment, as she sat there with her arms around the dark haired woman, he couldn't take his eyes off her. He forgot that he was First Class and the she was third, he forgot that his mother and sister were probably wondering where he was. He forgot all his worries surrounding his father, he forgot his fiancé, he almost forgot his name.

He knew two things - he knew that this girl, this beautiful Rose De-something or other, with her wild red hair and her green eyes, was real and was sitting there in front of him, and he also knew, that for the first time in a long time, his heart was feeling something that wasn't pain.

* * *

**AN: I decided to use Rose and Jack's lie from the movie and turn it into a real thing... I hope you liked it. Please review, let me know what you think of the story, and my writing. If you have any contructive criticism, please feel free ! :D**

**Lily Beth x**


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Thank you for all the great reviews everyone, they're really keeping me going! Reviews are what make me keep wanting to write! :) Hope you enjoy this chapter :)

**Chapter Five**

"Rose? Rose!"

Rose ignored the voice that was calling her, and rolled over again, burying her face in her pillow. She was so _tired_.

"Ro-ose!" Whoever was trying to wake her had dragged her name into two syllables. And Rose _hated _that.

"_What_?" She snapped, sitting up. Lizzie was standing next to the bunks, a worried frown on her face. Her brow smoothed a little when she saw Rose sitting up, no matter how disgruntled her expression was.

"You're okay!" She said merrily, reaching up and patting Rose on the head as though she was four years old, and not eighteen.

"Of course I'm okay," Rose groaned, flopping back onto her pillow.

There came the sound of the cabin door opening, and there were footsteps as someone came in.

"Is she alright?" Rose recognised Sally's concerned voice.

"She's fine -" Lizzie started to say, but she was interrupted as the cabin door opened again.

"Is Rose awake?" It was Kitty this time. "Is she -"

"I'm _fine_!" Rose said loudly, knowing she sounded like a spoilt and insolent child.

Someone let out a giggle.

"Rose, the only reason I was waking you was to tell you that they're going to stop serving breakfast in twenty minutes. You'd want to hurry up if you're going to eat."

"What? What time is it?"

"Almost ten," Sally said helpfully.

"What? Really?" Rose sat up so quickly that she hit her head on the low roof. "Ow!"

"Actually," Kitty began quickly. "Sally and I are supposed to meet Sean and Peter now, so -" The two girls left quickly.

"Are you -" Lizzie started.

"_FINE_!" Rose nearly yelled, rubbing her head.

"Someone's touchy…" Lizzie mumbled, turning away.

Rose bit her lip. She clambered down from her bunk with difficulty. Her arm hurt.

"I'm sorry, Lizzie," She said softly, touching her friend on the shoulder. "Are _you _okay?"

Lizzie sniffed. "No," She said snappily, and Rose moved her hand away as though Lizzie was on fire.

Lizzie turned to Rose a moment later, and she was grinning. "You _seriously _need to stop being so grouchy. One of these days I'm going to mean it when I say no!"

Rose laughed. "You're getting good at that. And there aren't many people who can fool me!"

"Really though, Rose…" Lizzie's face went serious. "How are you this morning?"

Rose shrugged, and immediately regretted it, as pain shot through her right shoulder and down her arm. "I'm okay," She said, rubbing the shoulder in question. "A bit stiff. And I think I drank too much. My head hurts."

Lizzie smiled, but it faded quickly. "Rose… you need to tell me. You did fall, didn't you? That man didn't try to…" She swallowed, her face ashy. "…to hurt you or anything?"

Rose looked at Lizzie, her mouth agape. "No! No, Lizzie, of course not! Why would you think that?"

Lizzie shrugged and turned away, looking embarrassed. "I don't know, I just… it seemed like a bit of ridiculous story."

Rose smiled. "Maybe I'm a bit of a ridiculous person. Lizzie, I promise you that I fell. If it wasn't for that man, Dawson, I would be dead."

Lizzie nodded and swallowed hard, her eyes blinking rapidly.

"Lizzie…" Rose hesitated, unsure of what to say. "Is there something you want to tell me? About… about the baby, or anything?"

Lizzie turned to Rose, her expression one of surprise. "Why, no, Rose! Everything's grand. Do you want to go and get some breakfast now?"

Rose nodded uncomfortably. She'd known Lizzie for a long time now. They were like sisters. And Rose was sure that Lizzie was lying.

* * *

**Part Two**

"Ugh, I can't eat anymore!" Nan pushed away her plate, which was still full of shirred eggs and cold ham.

"Try and eat a little more, Nan," Vanessa coaxed, her own plate almost empty.

Nancy stuck out her bottom lip. "Why should I? Jack hasn't eaten any of his."

Jack was pulled out of a reverie by the sound of his name. It was true - his white china plate was full of food, barely a mouthful gone.

"Jack," His mother scolded gently. "Try to eat something."

"I'm not hungry, mother." Jack said, taking a mouthful of orange juice, and resisting the urge to reach for his cigarettes.

They were breakfasting on the private veranda just outside the suite, and the sun was shining warmly down on them. Nobody was in particularly good form. Lillian was still resting, Vanessa had been crabby and resentful all morning, Nancy was behaving like a brat due to a bad bout of seasickness, and Jack was off in another world completely.

The glass and oak door to the veranda opened, and Ingrid, the family's maid, stepped out.

"Mr Dawson," She said, approaching Jack. She held a folded slip of paper in her hand. "Miss King has left a message for you. She's requested that you join her in her suite for midday tea."

Jack took the note and scanned it quickly. "Thank you, Ingrid. Please tell Katherine that I will not be joining her this morning."

"Jack!" Vanessa Dawson looked appalled. "What on earth do you mean? Ingrid, please tell Katherine that Jack _will _join her, at exactly midday!"

Jack glared at his mother.

Ingrid stood nervously wringing her hands, glancing between Jack and his mother, clearly unsure of who to obey.

"Ingrid." Vanessa snapped at the nervous girl. "Go immediately."

"Mother," Jack said furiously as Ingrid curtsied and left. "There's no need for that."

Vanessa glared at her son, her blue eyes flashing dangerously. "What has gotten into you lately, Jack?"

"Nothing," He said sullenly.

Vanessa raised a hand to her eyes. Her shoulders tensed for a moment, as though she was trying to control herself. When she dropped her hand, her expression was blank, her face smooth.

"Jack," She said, and he could tell she was trying really hard not to lose her temper with him, "Katherine is your fiancé. She will soon be your wife. She requests your company, and you _will _attend to her."

Nancy looked between her mother and her brother. "I don't like Katherine," She added in what she probably thought was a helpful manner.

Jack snorted.

Without another word, Vanessa stood and left the table.

"Why don't you like Katherine, Nan?" Jack asked his sister.

Nan placed her chin on the heel of her hand, her elbow resting on the table. "I don't really know, Jack. I mean, she's so beautiful, but she's snobbish and conceited, and to be honest, I really doubt whether there's anything other than air in her head!"

Jack bit his lip in order to hide his laughter. "Nan, you shouldn't say things like that! She's probably going to be your sister-in-law someday."

Nancy rolled her eyes. "Oh, Jack. If that was the case, you wouldn't have said 'probably'. You'd be declaring your love and defending her honour and goodness knows what else."

Jack didn't say anything.

Nancy, encouraged by Jack's silence, kept going. "Why don't you just call off the engagement? I don't think you want to marry her. Why did you propose in the first place?"

"That's enough." Jack's tone was suddenly sharp.

Nancy sat back in her seat and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Don't you have piano practise or something?" Jack said snappily.

Nancy just looked at him, her mouth turning down. "I was only trying to help," She mumbled, and Jack could tell he'd upset her.

"Oh, Nan. I'm sorry." He reached out and took her hand. "I don't know. Things are… confused for me. I'm just trying to figure some things out."

Nancy nodded, but tears spilled over from her eyes and trailed down her cheeks. Jack pulled her into a hug, and kissed the top of her head.

"Everything'll be okay, Nan."

Nancy looked up at Jack, her brown eyes large and trusting. "You promise, Jack?"

He didn't hesitate in replying. "I promise."

* * *

**Part Three**

"Urgh." Rose plunged her spoon into her bowl of congealing gruel. "I can't eat this."

"I'll have it!" A scrawny looking boy was sitting a few seats away.

Rose's stomach churned as she shoved the bowl down the table towards him. The boy immediately began shovelling the cold gruel into his mouth. Rose looked away. The dining room was almost empty, apart from a few late risers, most of them hung-over young men.

"You okay?" Peter, the brother of Sean, Sally's husband, asked Rose.

"Remind me never to drink that beer again," She groaned. "I hurt all over."

Peter laughed, raising an eyebrow at her. "I've a feeling it doesn't have much to do with cheap beer. Didn't you nearly go overboard last night?"

She glared at him. "Who told you that?"

He laughed. It was a great laugh, one that seemed to go all the way to his feet. "Well, Kitty told me. But it's all over the ship anyway. One of the sailors is telling everyone about the steerage girl saved by a gentleman." He snorted derisively. "It was probably the only brave thing he ever did in his life."

Rose glared at Peter. "Don't be so insulting!" She said sharply. "That man saved my life."

Peter looked a little embarrassed as he realized he'd said the wrong thing.

Rose pushed herself away from the near-empty table, and stalked outside to the fresh air.

* * *

**Part Four**

Jack looked at his reflection in the huge gold-framed mirror hanging in his luxurious bedroom. He picked an ivory comb up from his things and ran it through his hair, before deciding he hated that smoothed back look, and running his hands through it instead. It stuck up at all different angles and Jack snorted at himself. What a rebel he was! He smoothed his trousers and waistcoat, and then slipped his arms into the sleeves of a black coat. He then left the cabin and headed towards the one that Katherine was sharing with her family.

Men lifted their hats at him as he passed, and women he knew bobbed their heads while smiling. Jack knew how he effected women. He also knew he could have had any woman he wanted.

So why had he chosen _Katherine_?

They'd known each other since they were children, and he'd been courting her since he was sixteen and she even younger. He had loved her, he had when he asked her to marry him, at least. He just didn't love her any more. Not in the way that he should.

He rapped on the heavy mahogany door, and it was opened quickly by a small dark haired girl who curtsied when she saw him.

"Morning, Marietta," He said to the maid.

"Good morning, Mr Dawson," She said a little shyly. "Miss Katherine is waiting for you on the veranda."

Jack nodded his thanks and crossed the magnificent suite towards the door that led to the veranda.

Katherine was standing against the railing, looking so beautiful in the late morning sunshine. She was dressed in a beautiful yellow dress, with seed pearl buttons up the side and on the three quarter length sleeves. Her golden hair was swept up into a delicate chignon, and there were ivory and mother-of-pearl combs in it. So beautiful, and yet Jack felt nothing.

"Jack!" She said when he came out, her expression relieved. "I wasn't sure if you would come!"

Jack smiled a little. "Of course I came. I'm a man of my word, Katherine. You should know that by now."

She smiled at him. It was true - he never broke promises. She left the railings and walked close to him. He embraced her, but when she tried to kiss him, he turned away. He pretended not to see the hurt look on her face.

She pulled away from him and went to sit and the small table in the middle of the veranda.

"Would you like some tea?" She asked him, her voice calm.

"Please," Jack said, resisting the urge to leave all together.

He sat across from her. She poured some steaming amber liquid into a china cup and slid it across the table. He looked blankly at it for a moment before adding some milk and a teaspoon of sugar.

Katherine sipped from her tea. They sat in silence for a few moments.

"Jack -" Katherine began to speak, and then she stopped. She took a deep breath as if to steady herself. "Jack, we need to discuss the wedding. There are many things to be organized."Jack sighed heavily. "Oh, yes. The wedding." He closed his eyes. It was a mistake. When he opened them again, Katherine's lips were trembling and her brown eyes were glistening with tears.

"Don't you _want _to get married Jack?" She exploded, her voice shaking with emotion as tears began to stream down her cheeks. "Because any time I try to talk about it, you clam up. In fact, ever since you proposed you've been acting strangely! You never talk to me any more, you never want me to kiss you - have I done something, Jack? Are you ever going to tell me?" She placed her face in her hands and her shoulders shook with her sobs.

Jack rubbed his jaw uncomfortably, unsure of what to say. He knew he was being horribly unfair to her.

Katherine looked up at him, her eyes red with tears. "Can you just leave, please? I can't talk to you right now!"

Feeling more relief than he should have felt, Jack stood up and left the veranda.

* * *

**Part Five**

Jack walked briskly down the First Class promenade, and stepped down onto the lower deck, before opening the gate to second class. The men and women grouped there watched him as he passed, knowing he didn't belong where he was going. He continued down until he'd left second class altogether, and was standing on the Third Class part of the ship. There were no fancy polished floorboards here, the ground was smooth cold iron. There were young boys kicking around an old soft ball, in comparison to the newly stitched leather ones the boys in First Class had. The little girls down here carried around tattered straw-stuffed dolls that had been absolutely loved to death, in comparison to the starchy, unused, human-like china dolls carried by the well dressed girls in First Class.

The atmosphere here was relaxed; men and women sat in groups big and small, chatting and enjoying the sunshine.

It amazed Jack how small the space was, and how many people were crammed into it. The area in First Class was huge, and yet there seemed to be hardly any people.

Jack stood near the gate and scanned the small area. He knew what he was looking for - a head of vibrant red curls. He was disappointed when he saw nothing but a sea of dark browns and dirty blondes, along with a few orange-y reds, but nothing close to the colour of Rose's hair.

There was a young pregnant woman standing next to the railings, her chestnut hair blowing in the breeze coming off the sea. She looked pensive, thoughtful, and Jack frowned, trying to place her.

Suddenly he realized - she was the sister of Rose, the girl he hadn't stopped thinking about in the twelve hours since he'd saved her life. Jack stood watching the girl for a moment, before he worked up the courage to approach her.

"Excuse me?" He said, reaching out and touching her shoulder.

She turned to him, startled.

For a moment, Jack was taken away by her beauty. She wasn't breathtaking in the sense that Rose was, but there was something in her pale skin, softly curling chestnut hair and extremely blue eyes that was very appealing.

"Yes?" She said a little suspiciously.

"You're Miss Rose's sister, yes?"

The girl laughed. "We aren't sisters. We're friends. But it's easier to travel when you say you're with family."

Jack frowned a little. "And your husband?"

"Is dead," The girl said, looking out to the sea.

"I'm sorry," Jack said, a little uncomfortably. "I'm Jack Dawson, by the way."

"Elizabeth O'Toole," She said, shaking the hand he offered to her.

"It's nice to meet you."

"And you." Elizabeth replied. She watched him for a moment, before turning her eyes back to the ocean.

Jack cleared his throat.

"Is there something I can help you with, Mr Dawson?"

"Well…" Jack began.

"You're looking for Rose," Elizabeth stated.

"I… Yes," Jack admitted. "Do you know where I can find her?"

Lizzie shrugged unhelpfully. "She could be anywhere. This is a big ship."

Jack raised an eyebrow at her, but before he could say anything, there came a call from behind him.

"Lizzie?"

Lizzie and Jack turned at the same time.

And there stood Rose.

**Hope you liked it! Please review :)**


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